Gbajabiamila brokers truce between FG, resident doctors

Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The speaker of the House of Representatives,  Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday, said he had brokered a truce between the Federal government and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
Gbajabiamila, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Lanre Lasisi, said owing to his intervention in the dispute between the government and NARD, resulting in the  association extending the suspension of its planned strike action.
The speaker noted that during a meeting with the resident doctors and officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, they reached an agreement on how to settle the matter.
According to the statement, “the President of NARD, Dr. Olusegun Olaopa, had explained to the speaker and other principal officers of the House, including the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, that they had three major grievances against the Federal government.
“The three grievances, he said, had to do with their salary arrears, skipped salary of N23.6bn and irregularities in the implementation of the Resident Doctors’ Act.
“However, Speaker Gbajabiamila was able to get a commitment from both the Federal Ministries of Finance and Health that the salary arrears would be ready for payment in the next three weeks.”
The statement quoted Gbajabiamila as assuring the resident doctors that: “We are here for you; we are here to protect you, and in doing that, we also protect our constituents. When you talk about essential services, the most important is health services, because you save lives. So, we know the consequences of your going on strike. Since we all know the consequences, we should be serious about the issue.
“Ours is to appeal to you using the instrumentality of this House. The issue of your N3.5bn, I can almost assure you that that will be resolved next month. There’s already a machinery in motion to ensure that it is paid by next month.
“In the presence of everyone here, finance (ministry) is committing three weeks and you’ll get your pay. As a house, we’ll make sure we follow through. So, for the sake of lives, on that particular one, I beg you to tarry a while.
“We’re going to put our reputation on the line and try to see how we can get the executive to bring whatever is agreeable and due to them (NARD) into the budget. On our part, we will make sure that whatever is due to you forms part of the 2020 budget.
“But I’m asking now that you should exercise some little patience to see what we can do on our own so that we can arrest this issue. For the sake of people out there, let’s hold on.‎ Once the N3.5bn is paid, you can take it from there that the 2020 budget will have the N23.6bn.”